What is GVIF?

GVIF (Gigabit Video InterFace) is a video interface developed by Sony in 1996 for high quality uncompressed video transmission from digital video hardware.

The biggest advantage of this video interface was that it did not need any specific multicore cables or signal super converters but required only cable with twisted pair, transmitter and receiver chips. Video signal could be transmitted over twisted pair at a distance up to 20 meters. Data was transmitted in real time at a high rate with no image quality loss.

In comparison with features of other interfaces available at that time GVIF was a real break-through.

Data transfer

Rate

Cable/Weight

Content protection

Usage in car industry

MOST

50 m

50 Mbps

Fiber optics/Light

DTCP

Yes

IDB1394

50 m

400 Mbps

Fiber optics, Cable/Middle-weight

DTCP

Yes

LVDS

10 m

2.5 Gbps

Cable/Heavy

N/A

Yes

HDMI

10 m

5 Gbps

Cable/Heavy

HDCP

No

GVIF

20 m

2.0 Gbps

Twisted pair/Light

HDCP

Yes

Having invented GVIF technology Sony was ahead of time and did not manage to implement its brainchild. However, in course of time customers appeared for whom advantages of this technology were obvious. Step by step it started to be used in various domains:

2Army: microsized matrix displays for projection on the retina in the tactical glasses; microcized real-time cameras.

3General decktop PC manufacturing: for monitors and video cards production – the idea has not actually been put into practice; POS terminals.

4Aircraft: for video signal transmission in the passengers entertainment systems in the airplane.

5And finally, automotive industry: for image transmission from various video sources to the main or additional display. Since 2002 automotive industry became the main customer of this interface for video transmission.

Nowadays GVIF interface is used for video signal transmission and reception in famous car brands such as Toyota, Lexus, Land Rover, Range Rover, Jaguar, Nissan, Infiniti, Subaru, Mazda, Opel, and Cadillac. And the list is continuing to grow.

Flow chart of GVIF interface application in the car:

Guess how many devices may be covered by GVIF interface
based on this chart. Don't even try. At least 11:

GVIF Application in the Car

1Navigation display (multidisplay)

2Navigation box

3Parking cameras (up to 5)

4Park assist control module.

5Flip down monitor

6Headrest monitors (2)

7DVD player

The example above is just the beginning; there can be even more advanced configurations. However, it sometimes happens so that user himself feels uncomfortable when his car lacks TV tuner or any other device which helps him to fill in the time, for example, in a traffic jam, or such vital business assistant as – carputer (CarPC). In all cases mentioned above you cannot do without special video converter which can transmit video signal from any video source to the on-board car monitor. However, these are not all the advantages of the GVIF technology. Find more at gvif.com soon!